Dayna Starke

Get to know Dayna

Hi everyone, my name is Dayna (she/her pronouns)

Athletics has been a part of my life since I was a young child. I played sports intensively until I tore the ACL in my knee in high school. This caused me to consider my identity outside of athletics and drove me to rehab and rejoin athletics as soon as I was able to. Playing college-level volleyball for four years while being placed in a position of leadership in my senior years was a privilege but also came with significant pressure. When I retired from volleyball, I quickly fell in love with martial arts as another physical outlet. I trained more intensively in BJJ for several years, eventually earning my blue belt. During this time, I coached kids in BJJ programs and school programs and helped beginner adults feel confident with grappling on the mats. Although I consider myself ‘retired’ in the sport, I still like to attend a class or open mat every once in a while for nostalgia's sake!

Not only do I have an athletic identity, but I also have a geek identity! My spouse collects retro gaming systems, which is how I learned that Mario Kart is by far my favourite retro game, even though I grew up with Spyro on the first PlayStation. I also am a master-level cosplayer and have been making competitive cosplays with my spouse for over 8 years. I am a lover of Anime - anything from old to new I will add to my watch list. I will say that with all the new generations, Charizard is still my favourite Pokémon.

My past experience has been working with children with neurodiversity, and supporting the adults around them. I have worked with neurodiverse populations for more than 8 years, where I worked primarily on the power of building connections. My collective experience as an athlete, coach, and consultant has helped me understand the importance of establishing achievable goals. In addition, my unique lived experience as a minoritized identity supports my ability to establish deeper and more meaningful connections with those around me, and I want to help you do the same!